On January 23 London-based Peer Group, landlords of the Dial House--home to the anarchist punk band Crass and their extended family--put the band's communal home of thirty years up on the auction block in the hopes of profiting from the land's substantial monetary value. When Crass first moved onto the property it was run down and rodent infested, but through care, diligence and a lot of hard, hard work, they slowly turned the dilapidated property into a living center that included an organic garden, a studio, print rooms, and rehearsal and workshop space--a home where the public was invited to share ideas and build community in an ever more isolating world.

This is not the first landlord who has tried to evict the band. For the better part of the past twelve years Crass has been fighting off the legal actions of various greedy property owners, including British Telcom, whose assessment of the Dial House was framed firmly in dollar signs and profitable gain. And so when the Peer Group announced that it was putting the Dial House property up for sale, Crass was rightfully upset. Worse, having devoted most of their lives carving out an existence that was not centered around profit, they had no capital with which to make a counter-offer.

The band desperately worked towards coming up with the money necessary to preserve a place where all were welcome to stay and share ideas, sending out word to friends and fans and holding various benefits. And when the auction came and went it was originally believed that parties sympathetic to the Dial House had purchased the property. However, subsequent attempts on the part of Crass to contact the new property owners in the hopes of opening up negotiations to preserve the community built around the Dial House have gone unanswered.

Unfortunately, this situation is all too familiar and indicative of how "value" is viewed through the eyes of profit. If, sadly, the band is unsuccessful in working out an amenable situation that is beneficial for the Dial House, all donations will be returned in full. We'll keep you posted.

Byard Lancaster Arrested for Playing Music on the Street

Avant-garde saxophonist Byard Lancaster, who has played the world over to both presidents and peasants, was arrested in Philadelphia recently and charged with unlawfully playing music on a public street. Lancaster, who has also taught at numerous schools and universities, found his saxophone impounded and himself potentially facing a $400 fine. The case was subsequently dropped by the city and, once again, sadly reflects the value that is placed on art and expression.

Dead Kennedys to Remaster and Release Catalog

After winning a case against Dead Kennedys' vocalist Jello Biafra regarding ownership of the band's catalog, the remaining three members of this seminal West Coast punk band, East Bay Ray, D.H. Peligro and Klaus Fluoride, have decided to remaster and release albums from the band's catalog, as well as release additional live albums and videos. Biafra, who vehemently has opposed such actions by his former bandmates, was quoted as saying: "I am being punished for sticking to the vision and principles of the band and saying no to corporate branding and co-opting of our culture." Ironically, Biafra would receive a larger share of the royalties from the releases as he is credited as the songwriter for much of the Dead Kennedys' music. In a statement, the remaining members were quoted as saying: "Now the money he was taking as the label will be shared with all the band members."

R.I.P. Bryan Gregory

Ex-Cramps guitarist Bryan Gregory died recently in a California hospital from an illness brought on by a recent heart attack. Co-founding the Cramps in 1975, Gregory left the band in 1980. His was 46.

R.I.P. Milan Hlavsa

Milan Hlavsa, founder, composer and bassist for Czech band Plastic People of the Universe died from cancer on January 5 in Prague. Plastic People of the Universe was formed in 1968, their sound heavily influenced by Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa and the Velvet Underground. Treated as dissidents and harassed and imprisoned during the 1970s and '80s by the country's communist government, the band persevered, ultimately changing the course of history when the coalition of artists and students (which included now-President Vaclav Havel) who stepped forward to support the band slowly turned into the movement that would bring democracy to Czechoslovakia in 1989. "We felt more like a guerrilla group than a rock 'n' roll band. We were dissidents against our will," Hlava once said. "We didn't play this role intentionally--it was forced upon us from outside." Milan Hlavsa was 49.

R.I.P. Pandomag

Word came 'round earlier this month that Pandomag.com, a Seattle-based music webzine, would soon be closing shop, forced to call it quits by owners Accelerated Web Development without explanation. Originally starting as a print 'zine in 1991, the magazine (then called Pandemonium) switched to an entirely web-based format in 1996, focusing primarily on Pacific Northwest music but including interviews and reviews of both national and international acts. Pandomag also contained a huge library of some of the best concert photos to be found on the Internet.

The news came as a second mortal blow in as many months to editor Dave Liljengren, who also contributed to The Rocket, another long-running local music magazine who Liljengren was slated to become editor of weeks before its owners decided shut down the magazine without notice or explanation.

Earpollution would like to send our best to everyone at Pandomag and wish them well with whatever the future may hold. We fondly recall soiling our fingers on the pages of Pandemonium for many a year, entirely blown away with respect when they were one of the few local magazines to give coverage to Godflesh, one of our fave bands. All the best!

Curve/Pitchshifter Dropped by Record Labels

Two more of our favorite British bands announced recently that they had been dropped by their respective record labels. Curve, having an album already in the bag, was "released" earlier this month from Estupendo Records, while techno-punksters Pitchshifter announced that their label, MCA, would not be renewing the band's contract.

Both bands have made an indelible mark on the artistic landscape, and we feel both are still making vital music. But, to quote Curve's website: "Unfortunately the music business has changed to such a degree that it no longer feels the need to support bands like us, leaving you the consumer with limited access to the wealth of music that is made."

Earpollution hopes both bands will continue making music, and encourages both to find the means to do so on their terms--something all artists should be allowed to do (see above comments, re: Dial House).

D-Day Records Accepting Submissions for Metal Compilation to Benefit Homeless

Metal bands listen up! D-Day Records is accepting submissions for a double-disc metal compilation whose proceeds will go to help homeless teenagers and disabled American veterans. Madison, Wisconsin area metal bands are especially encouraged to send in submissions, which can be mailed to:

D-Day Records
P.O. Box 7042
Madison, WI 53707-7042

Packages should include a current release on CD or CD-R, a bio and contact info (duh!).

Half of the proceeds will to the organization Stand Up For Kids, which reaches out to homeless teenagers, while the remaining half will go to aid Disabled American Veterans in the U.S. Did you know: one-third of all homeless in the United States are teenagers, and one-third of all homeless in the United States are disabled veterans?

The Nuge Sued

Oh my, it's been some time since we've reported news on Ted "Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs" Nugent, but it was reported last month that The Nuge is being sued by a Nebraska couple who say Mr. Cat Scratch Fever never came through on a promised dinner and all-access passes that the couple, Ron and Krishelle Bennett, had won on an eBay. Proceeds from the auction would benefit Nugent's Kamp for Kids, a youth "wilderness-organization" obviously not dedicated to improving kids krammar skillz, but instead focusing on the benefits of teaching youngsters how to shoot someone squarely between the eyes, skin their own kill, and how best to convert a semi-automatic weapon into one that's fully-automatic.

Apparently, the winner would receive a dinner with Ted "You Can't Grill It Until You Kill It" Nugent, as well as front row tickets to one of his shows that also included all-access backstage passes. According to the Bennetts (who won the auction by bidding over $1,500) Nugent never showed for dinner, the tickets were on the 30th row, and the passes something other than "all-access." Ron Bennett told the Associated Press that Nugent had crushed his belief in the redemptive qualities of "Cat Scratch Fever," "Free for All," "Stranglehold" and every single other rock composition not written by Nuge himself. "The guy was my hero."

In our shriveled little blackened hearts, for some reason Earpollution just can't find any reason to feel sorry for the Bennetts.

Napster/Bertelsmann Announces Subscription Service Bertelssmann announced that sometime this summer Napster--who Bertelssman formed a "strategic alliance" with last October--would relaunch, with the formerly free digital download service charging a subscription fee for music accessed through its site.

"We carried out market research among 20,000 Napster users. The willingness to pay is given," said Bertelsmann chairman Thomas Middelhoff.

In late October Bertelsmann surprised the industry when it announced they would be developing a secure membership-based service that would guarantee royalty payments to the various copyright owners.

Kudos to Limp Bizkit

Normally, Limp Bizkit and their music is on the receiving end of our cynical wordstick, and rightly so. But this month Earpollution must give shout-outs to these too-big-for-their-britches nu-metallers for pulling out of Australia's Big Day Out music festival due to concerns regarding crowd safety.

After six people were hospitalized from being crushed in a crowd of 55,000 who came to see the Big Day Out festival's stopover in Sydney, Limp Bizkit cancelled its remaining dates after the festival's headliners failed to meet the security and safety measures the band deemed necessary to guarantee the safety of their fans. Sadly, a fifteen-year old girl who suffered a heart attack during the crush died five days after the tragic event.

In a statement, the band said: "We are devastated that Jessica died, and really nothing can describe the sadness and anguish we're feeling. We offer sympathy, prayers, and compassion to her family and friends. The loss of her life will impact ours forever."

Big Day Out organizers, Creative Entertainment, put the blame squarely on Limp Bizkit's shoulders by responded: "[The band's set was of] sufficient intensity to provoke unprecedented and ferocious crowd activity in front of the stage." But, to their benefit, festival organizers also announced "our deepest sympathy at the tragic death of Jessica who was injured at the Sydney show on Friday 26th of January."

Earpollution would like to send sincere condolences to the family of Jessica, and our respect goes to Limp Bizkit for setting an example and doing the right thing in regards to the situation.

Craig Young
Editor, Earpollution